Interviews Galore: Clay's Interviews with SFGate, Access Atlanta, SheKnows

Here are some more Clay interviews, leading up to the album release day... only 3 days to go!

• SF Gate -
  

  We realize that Clay Aiken is not everyone's favorite "American Idol" runner-up. But the 29-year-old North Carolina native is the only one who sells millions of records, stars in a major Broadway show, gets to sell stuff on QVC, runs a foundation for children with disabilities and inspires fans to make homemade T-shirts that read "Clay shakes my ovaries a thousand different ways." This week, Aiken releases "On My Way Here," his first album of original material since his 2003 double-platinum debut, "Measure of a Man."
  
  Q: You look so different from how you looked five years ago. Have all the makeovers made you better?
  A: I don't think the external stuff has changed me. I'm still about as self-confident as a skunk.
  
  [...]
  
  Q: Does this album feel like your real second album, even though it's you're fourth?
  A: In a way, it kind of does. Obviously, it's the second album that we've done with original stuff. I've always said the first album was fitting a square peg into a round hole. The songs were picked before they even knew it was going to be me. Now we're putting the square peg in the square hole. I'm definitely square, that's for sure. But at least it fits.

• Access Atlanta - "Clay Aiken interview, ratings update, song choice" -

  Those Clay Aiken fans have been waiting for this since I’ve been teasing it. But his first album of originals since 2003, “On My Way Here” comes out Tuesday. (The Claymate crew will be at Manuel’s Tavern, 602 N. HIghland Ave., Atlanta, at 8;30 p.m. Monday for an album release party.)
  
  Clay is definitely the gabby sort. I had a lengthy list of questions to ask him for my 15 minutes, including several from Clay fans I solicited. But I only got in a handful of my own before the publicist said time was up.
  
  [...]
  
  Why has it been so long since you did a full album of originals?
  
  The record label latched on to me doing a Christmas album. It kind of made sense. It worked beautifully for whatever reason. The truth is, we ain’t radio people. Clay Aiken and the radio don’t happen as easily as Kelly Clarkson or Chris Daughtry. They wanted me to do an album with songs they could sell on TV. Radio is like an advertisement for your album. They thought they could sell Clay Aiken songs for commercials. So I did mostly covers. It ended up being a product I liked quite a bit though there was some resistance from the fans. They call me the next Barry Manilow but at least he has his own music. I wanted stuff that was mine whether it gets played on the radio or not. We went at this saying, that’s not a priority. I don’t want to think about doing radio friendly songs.
  
  Look-I’m not top 40. I’m not cool enough to be on there. If you walk into a nightclub and they put on Clay Aiken music, I hope they’ll run out.
  
  [...]
  
  Do you think your first single “On My Way Here” can do well on radio?
  
  The label thinks so. We never tried to find a single. We used to try to do that. We tried and tried. Nothing worked. We do things that are good for me, that sounds believable. If you saw the show the last time, I did a bit of “Sexyback.” It was totally a joke, totally tongue in cheek. If I tried to sing those songs sincerely and put it on the radio, that’d be a caricature. I know that. Give me a cool song. I start singing it, it’s not cool anymore.
  
  What’s different about this vs. your first album?
  
  I used to not care about lyrics. I could have sung about watermelons as long as it’s pretty. This is the first time we looked at lyrics. I wanted every single song to connect with me lyrically. Some of them are songs that don’t necessarily connect with me directly but a majority of people will experience.
  
  We produced a very diverse sounding album. If some of these songs were sung by someone else, they might end up on Q100… Lyrically, it’s all connected.
  

• SheKnows.com - "Claymates rejoice!" -

  Clay Aiken will be returning to the top spots of the album charts when “On My Way Here” is released May 6. That much is a certainty. The American Idol runner up is ready to get first new material to his fans since his 2003 debut, “Measure of a Man” went twice platinum.
  
  Since that famed singing competition made him a household name, Aiken has transcended pop to not only conquer the charts, but become the king of Christmas touring and an expert in Monty Python’s regal attitudes and had his hair lightened a few shades.
  
  Aiken’s return as pop music performer will have to suffice solely on CD for his fans.
  
  The singer is spending his summer at a North Carolina home he barely knows. This relaxed summer sojourn home is a welcomed one for an artist who has not had a vacation since Ryan Seacrest uttered “You’re ‘American Idol’ is…Ruben Studdard.”
  
  SheKnows: You’ve had a few records out since the closest “American Idol” vote in its seven seasons, how are your expectations for “On My Way Here” different as opposed to your Christmas album, cover record or the debut CD?
  
  Clay Aiken: I do feel bad saying this, but I’ll admit it anyway. I guess there is an excitement when an album comes out, let me say that. Am I as excited as I was the very first time? No, of course not, the first time you do anything is always more exciting. This time, I have been honestly so busy I’ve had almost no time to think about anything. But you know, every time we get something new in – we just got in the album packaging in – it makes it a little more exciting each time. And when I’m talking to people like yourself about it, that I’ve been able to make a product that is more personal than in the past. That is exciting, you know?
  
  [...]
  
  SheKnows: Heading out into the summer season that is famous for touring, you’re releasing an album May 6, millions of fans want to know -- are you hitting the road?
  
  Clay Aiken: We’re not touring actually. I have not had two days off in a row since I don’t know when. I know since September, between the Christmas tour, and then I did a UNICEF trip to Mexico, I came straight from there to New York to do rehearsals for “Spamalot.” I’m in “Spamalot” until May 4 and then I’ll take the fifth off and then from then on we’ll be promoting the new album for a few weeks straight. But after that, I’m going to sit down for a little bit.